Explanation
The ABS function is fully automatic. All you need to do is supply a number and ABS will return the absolute value.
Convert negative numbers in place
If you only need to convert negative numbers once, you can convert in-place with Paste Special:
- Add -1 to a cell and copy to the clipboard
- Select the negative numbers you want to convert
- Use Paste Special > Values + Multiply
The video on this page shows this technique and many other paste special shortcuts.
Related formulas
Count cells that contain negative numbers
In this example, the goal is to count the number of cells in a range that contain negative numbers. For convenience, the range B5:B15 is named data . This problem can be solved with the COUNTIF function or the SUMPRODUCT function. Both methods are explained below. COUNTIF function The COUNT...
Convert negative numbers to zero
In this example, the goal is to convert negative numbers in column B to zero and leave positive numbers unchanged. Essentially, we want to force negative numbers to zero. With the MAX function The MAX function provides an elegant solution: =MAX(B5,0) This formula takes advantage of the fact that...
Related functions
ABS Function
The Excel ABS function returns the absolute value of a number. ABS converts negative numbers to positive numbers, and positive numbers are unaffected.
